1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to the field of display units that provide flight and/or ground information to the pilot or flight crew of an aircraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Time-critical aeronautical information, which is of either a temporary nature or not sufficiently known in advance to permit publication on aeronautical charts or in other operational publications, receives immediate dissemination via a Notice to Airmen (“NOTAM”) System. NOTAMs may be provided to the pilot during a standard briefing. NOTAMs may comprise a notice containing information concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with such operations. NOTAMs may be issued and/or reported by national authorities for a number of reasons, such as: hazards such as airshows, parachute jumps, and glider or micro light flying; flights by important people such as heads of state; closed runways, taxiways, etc.; unserviceable radio navigational aids; military exercises with resulting airspace restrictions; unserviceable lights on tall obstructions; and temporary erection of obstacles near airfields (e.g., cranes).
NOTAM information may be disseminated for all navigational facilities that are part of a national airspace system, all public use airports, seaplane bases, and heliports. NOTAMs may include information related to taxiway closures, personnel and equipment near or crossing runways, and airport lighting aids that do not affect instrument approach criteria such as a visual slope indicator. NOTAMs may include amendments to published instrument approach procedures and other current aeronautical charts. NOTAMs may publish a temporary flight restriction imposed in order to protect persons and property in the aircraft or on the surface from an existing or imminent flight associated hazard, provide a safe environment for the operation of disaster relief aircraft, prevent an unsafe congestion of sightseeing aircraft above an incident, protect the President, Vice-President, or other public figures, and provide a safe environment for space agency operations.
NOTAM information may be distributed by means of telecommunication containing information essential to personnel concerned with flight information. Recently, efforts have been taken to digitize the dissemination of NOTAM information by, for example, making a data set available through digital services containing information to systems and automated equipment by personnel concerned with flight operations. With the development of digital data sets, there is a need for generating and presenting NOTAM information directly in front of a pilot on a tactical display unit.